William Rushton (August 18, 1937-December 11, 1996) was a British cartoonist, satirist, comedian, actor and performer. Rushton was a co-founder of Private Eye with his Shrewsbury School peers Christopher Booker, Paul Foot and Richard Ingrams, originally acting as the magazine's layout artist. He served as one of its cartoonists until his death. Rushton found fame as a performer in That Was The Week That Was and other television programmes with David Frost. Towards the end of his life he appeared as a guest on countless TV shows of varying quality, including Through the Keyhole. He also provided all the voices in the claymation-style animated series The Trap Door, and was also the voiceover on a number of TV adverts and at least one public information film.
For many years, he was a panellist in the long-running BBC Radio 4 radio panel comedy game show I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, joining it as a regular team member from the third series. Rushton also illustrated Auberon Waugh's "Way Of The World" column in The Daily Telegraph from 1990 until his death.
Whilst working for Private Eye, in 1963 (under the slogan "Death to the Tories") he fought the Kinross and West Perthshire by-election (where Sir Alec Douglas-Home, a.k.a. Baillie Vass was elected in order to become Prime Minister) as an independent candidate. On the eve of poll he retired from the election and endorsed the Liberal candidate, who seemed the most credible challenger; this was too late to take his name from the ballot paper and Rushton received 45 votes.
He illustrated many books and, after the Spycatcher controversy, wrote the send-up Spy Thatcher: An Insult to British Intelligence.
Rushton died from complications from a heart operation on December 11, 1996.
He is honoured by a blue plaque at Mornington Crescent tube station, a reference to his skill at the game Mornington Crescent on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
